Strange Days is set in Los Angeles the last days of 1999 and tells the story of an ex-cop named Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes). After Nero is driven out of the LAPD, he becomes a dealer and addict of memory encoded data-discs whose daily fix requires reliving past memories of his relationship with his musician ex-girlfriend (Juilette Lewis).

Nero receives a data-disc in which a murderer records the sadistic murder of a prostitute while wearing the gear to record the memories. He receives future data-discs and the subsequent investigation draws Nero, his ex-girlfriend (Lewis), a former LAPD colleague (Tom Sizemore), and his best friend (Angela Bassett) into a conspiracy which threatens to cause further racial tension and rioting in a city that is already on the brink of anarchy.

While the movie has traditionally been compared to Blade Runner, it offers it’s dystopian vision using different tools. The story telling is more linear and a bit less esoteric once the concept of memory encoding is understood. Music is an active part of the story telling, the violence is more pervasive and forward, and the action is faster and more direct. In essence, it’s grittiness over style in telling it’s tale.

Strange Days still plays well despite it being an almost 20 year old Science Fiction film. There are not many science fiction movies that are seemingly current (in-movie dates aside) after such a long period of time. Even the music is still a viable part of the movie, which is remarkable given the 1995 music scene. Acting and direction are all top-notch, although Lewis goes a bit heavy on both the nudity and ditziness.

Strange Days is currently streaming on Netflix.

Featured and inline images: 20th Century Fox

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the film, “Blade Runner” is a Science Fiction film produced in 1982. It was directed by Ridley Scott and stars Harrison Ford, Sean Young, Ruter Hauer, Edward James Olmos, and Darryl Hannah among others. The film is considered by many to be one of the greatest achievements in Science Fiction cinema and is often classified as either necessary viewing or a cult phenomena (depending on who you ask).

“Blade Runner” went through an unusual development process both pre- and post-initial theatrical release. Poor test screenings and studio demands led to an initial release of the film which didn’t match Ridley Scott’s vision. In addition to Scott’s later edits removing and restoring bits of the film to more closely match his desires, different censorship expectations and requirements added to the number of available versions. The Wikipedia article lists seven different versions which all feature different elements, plot details, and overall running length. Part of the uniqueness (and charm) of “Blade Runner” is that each version is different in subtle or significant ways from the others, and the variations of the different films can lead viewers to make different conclusions about both the central characters and overall plot line. The variation makes the various editions of the film particularly suitable for repeat reviewing in order to compare and contrast conclusions about plot, character development, and motives

A recent post on robertebert.com does a terrific job at shifting the debate from the standard “is/isn’t Deckard a replicant” to “is/isn’t Deckard the villain.” While there is certainly interesting things to be seen in the the supporting arguments used to define Deckard as the actual villain, the comments of the post are as or perhaps more interesting as they provide proof of the fact that people are still genuinely interested and passionate about their opinions of a 32 year old movie.

Featured and Post Images: Warner Bros.

Sid and Nancy (1986) is mostly successful at communicating the chaos associated with the Sex Pistols, the English punk movement, and Sid Vicious.

I say mostly because the film runs out of steam in the last half of the movie. The film slows down unnecessarily when the Sex Pistols break up and drags on until close to the end. Instead of properly presenting Sid’s progression from quasi-success to ultimate desperation and murder, the troublesome pacing resulted in me mentally hoping and urging Sid to stop meandering and get on with the business of knifeplay.

Even with the poor pacing, this film is a thing of beauty in terms of acting. Gary Oldman does what I imagine every actor aims for when performing a role: he truly seems to become the character. I wasn’t watching Oldman play Sid, I was watching Sid destroy himself. Although Chloe Webb was more annoying than interesting and the rest of the cast didn’t match Oldman in terms of sheer acting brilliance, they did their job by not distracting from Oldman’s effort. This movie is classic Oldman, and I wish that recent efforts (i.e. Batman series) showcased his skills properly.

Be patient while watching this movie, especially towards the end. Your efforts will be rewarded.

Battle: Los Angeles is a 2011 Science Fiction film starring Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, and a somewhat-capable supporting cast. The film follows a platoon of US Marines as they battle an incoming alien invasion.

The acting in this title is mixed, with Eckhart doing a great job but some others being somewhat two-dimensional. The lieutenant and military commanders are particularly plastic, and I found other performances to be somewhat flat. Not helping the actors is a script full of old, tired cliches. A better script in terms of dialog and variety would have made this movie as interesting as District 9. As it stands, the movie’s dialog actively detracts from the final result.

I’m pleased to report that the news isn’t all bad. Even being cliche-ridden with predictable situations, this movie’s action makes it worth at least a view. I had a real sense of the kinetic fluidity and power of the alien armor and weapons, and the intensity of the firefights was impressive. And Eckharts performance is believable and interesting.

This film is best viewed with the understanding that much of the dialog is fundamentally boring and completely predictable. Just enjoy the action.

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